Utah Hockey Club loses 4-2 to Vegas Golden Knights – Deseret News

After the Utah Hockey Club won 2-0 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night, it seemed like there was no stopping them.

They dominated the first period in almost every major statistical category, hitting the post three times. They then continued that dominance in the second period.

But as is often the case in hockey, it doesn’t matter how good you are at even strength if your opponent can score consistently on the power play.

Golden Knights forward Tomáš Hertl struck midway through the second period, grabbing a loose puck in the slot and firing it home. He did it again in the third. The two goals were almost identical and both came with a Utah player in the box.

All signs pointed to overtime until William Karlsson tipped a seemingly innocuous shot past Karel Vejmelka with 1:18 left in the third, putting the Golden Knights ahead by one. Karlsson followed it up with an empty-net goal to seal the Vegas win, 4-2.

This is the second time Utah has lost to Vegas after leading 2-0.

Utah hockey for dummies

For the first time ever, the most common jersey during the game was that of Utah HC. That’s because Utah HC retail jerseys now exist.

The team put them up for sale on Friday morning. Despite that fact, there were still many jerseys representing the next state.

The Golden Knights were the closest NHL team to Salt Lake City for seven seasons and have won over some local hockey fans. That was evident when chants of “Go Knights, go” broke out in the first period, though they were quickly stifled by a chorus of cheers from Utah fans.

That opened the door for one of the best X-posts I’ve seen this season.

There was a lot of passion on display throughout the game, both on the ice and in the stands. The two teams meet again in Las Vegas on November 30. It’s a shame they’re not in the same division. This could end up being a fierce rivalry.

Utah Hockey for casual fans

Don’t look now, but Mikhail Sergachev is on a two-game goal streak.

Both goals, as well as his previous one, against the Calgary Flames, were very similar: he took the puck in the high slot and fired a top-shelf wrist shot.

Defenders can get too caught up in stick shooting, but Sergachev takes his chances to shoot when he gets them.

But no matter how well Sergachev plays, he is never satisfied with defeat.

“I feel like we respect teams too much,” he said. “We give them ice and give them the puck to play with. Instead, we should be the ones playing with the puck. It’s a matter of finding the right balance, when to play and when to get behind your defense and go to work.”

Sergachev also talked about simplifying the breakout, but he said they need to look at the tape and figure out what to do differently the next game.

Utah hockey for nerds

While it didn’t produce the final outcome they wanted, Utah’s defenders were much more involved in the game than usual, putting them in a position to succeed.

Utah consistently attracted forecheckers as they gained the zone, leaving the trailing defenders open. Once they passed it to the defenders, there was plenty of open space to play.

Quantity of shots had been a struggle for them over the past few games, and although André Tourigny said before Friday’s game that quality is more important than quantity, they hadn’t gotten many quality looks either.

The defenders changed that on Friday.

Utah in particular dominated the first period. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought they were on a power play most of the time. Time and again they had longer periods of puck possession in the offensive zone and plenty of scoring opportunities.

“The game is simple,” Sergachev said afterwards. “You get it out of your zone quickly, you get it behind their D and you don’t let them get out. That’s the game we played.”

Newcomer Olli Määttä, who played in the top pair for the second game in a row, found himself deep in the attacking zone a number of times.

When Juuso Välimäki did that earlier in the season, he spent a few games in the press box, but if Määttä can consistently get back on time, having another guy involved in the attack like that could really work in Utah’s favor .

“He’s playing well,” Tourigny said of Määttä. “He and Sergy together, they see each other and talk to each other a lot and play well together.”

Sergachev also had high praise for his new partner.

“He’s great,” Sergachev said. “He’s really ready with the puck, he finds me, he finds guys, his head is always up and he’s very good defensively.”

What’s next?

Next up are Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, who come to town on Monday.

The Capitals were one of the most active teams over the summer, adding many players in hopes of making a nice playoff run. Some doubted their ability to do this after being swept in the first round last year, but so far they’re looking good.

Ovechkin also continues his quest to break Wayne Gretzky’s goal scoring record. He only needs 32 more to become the highest scoring player of all time.

Monday’s game starts at 7 p.m. and can be seen on Utah HC+ and Utah 16. Tickets are also available available through Ticketmasterstarting at $56 at the time of writing.